The Castle in the Realm of Darkness
by Reincarnations
Summary: Aqua sees the first world she went to in The Realm of Darkness. (Side story to Search of the Fallen)


**_I am out of my comfort zone with this story. The reason why is because there's hardly any dialogue._**

 ** _If you have not completed the secret episode in Birth by Sleep then I suggest you don't read it._**

 ** _Disclaimer-I own nothing._**

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Walking for who knows long in a place that you have never been can easily crush your spirit and hope. The energy in your body drained. If you take one more step you could collapse from exhaustion.

This was the case for the newly made Keyblade Master, Aqua. Each step became harder to take as her knees felt like they were going to give out on her. With her energy almost completely depleted, she continued on with hopes of finding a way home.

Aqua looked up and gasped in horror. "Could it be?"

Surrounded by black fog at the bottom and thundering purple clouds was the first castle she saw outside of her home, the Castle of Dreams. It used to be filled with so much light that you could see it from a mile away. Now you barely see the outline of it.

"Oh no." Realization hit Aqua like a thousand pounds of broken bricks. "Cinderella!"

The energy that had disappeared replenished with motivation as she began running full force to the castle. Entering the palace courtyard was an easy task considering the wide open gate. The lights on each of the corner of the rectangle shaped man-made pond were no longer lit.

Taking a careful step forward, a swarm of monsters Aqua had fought not too long ago formed. She had grown to call the weaker ones Shadows, the one that look like a bigger and stronger version of it Neoshadows, and the ones shaped like balls Darkballs. **_(A/N: Do I really need to explain why?)_**

Instead of actually fighting the creatures, Aqua jumped over them. Running through the pond to get to the staircase, more and more of the monsters appeared giving chase. Cartwheeling out of the water, she began to the climb up the stairs. Aqua would trip over every other step by how fast she traveled. Reaching the top, she noticed how the light inside were unusually dim.

Aqua tried pushing the doors open but it wouldn't budge. She looked over her shoulders. The monsters were catching up to her. Taking a step back, she summoned her master's keyblade and pointed it at the doors. With all the magical power she had left inside, she yelled, "Firaga!"

The end of her keyblade glowed bright red as a powerful ball of flames shot out of it, hitting its target. The doors busted open with Aqua rushing inside. The corridor had no light to guide her, but from the previous visit she knew this hall only went straight; no turns to confuse her. Once she was at the halfway mark, Shadows formed blocking her way. Aqua refused to fight the monsters and once again jumped over them. Luckily, the door leading to the foyer was unlocked. She went through the door and slammed it shut so none of the monsters could get through.

Aqua stayed where she was at, catching her breath while surveying the area. All the chandeliers were unlit. The candles on the candelabras had burned out with an exception for the strays that were minutes away from following the others.

She took a step forward. Both relieved and surprised none of the enemies had appeared she gave a brave shout, "Cinderella?"

The word echoed off the walls with no answer from said person. Aqua trek the flight of stairs slowly, yelling the name a few more times along the way. Once she got to the top, the stairs split; one going to the right and the other to the left.

Moving to the one on the right, an army of Neoshadows generated. Switching to the left, a herd of Shadows melded into place. Instead of risking the possibility of getting injured by the monsters, Aqua used her Doubleflight ability to get to the top without taking either path.

She dashed to the ballroom doors. She tried her hardest to pull it open but it didn't work. She turned her back to the entrance, not bothering to try to bust it open because she no magic left inside her. Aqua ran to the path that was to her left. Once she made it to the end, she noticed a door that was below.

Without a second thought, she jumped down and landed in front of the door. It opened with ease and she was able to enter with a head-start from the monsters.

She closed the door behind and stared at the area in awe. All the candles were out but the passage was still lit from the light outside shining throw the windows. Aqua cautiously goes around the corner. Seeing that there was no sign of danger, she fell to the floor with her back against the wall.

Her eyes slid shut as she finally had a moment of peace in the castle. A minute or two passed and she reluctantly opened her eyes. She wished that she hadn't for what she saw.

The place where Cinderella and Prince Charming reunited had been destroyed.

The palace courtyard had turned into part of The Realm of Darkness.

Aqua stood back up and slowly walked down and around the corner. The next entrance way had a flight of stairs to the right. Walking up the steps and into the antechamber, she closes the wide open doors just in case one of the monsters were following her.

She noticed the last entrance, which is decorate with enormous curtains. Aqua walked through it and found out that it led to the balcony in the ballroom. She sighed becoming slightly depressed at the way the ballroom look. The last time she was here, the room was lit up with bright lights and no shadows could be seen. Now, there was no light. It was completely dark.

Aqua surveyed the area, shouting, "Cinderella!" There was no answer yet again.

Right when she was about to give up, something flickered in the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she spotted an object in the middle of the room. Aqua jumped off the balcony and jogged to that area. Once she knew what it was, her heart broke which the object could be used to replicate it.

The object was _Terra's Wayfinder._ The center piece was split in two. The chain broke in a few place. A couple of the "points" have been disconnected while the others still together were cracked.

There was no time to think of a way how the object came to be the way it was. The reason why is because the monsters were banging against the door in an attempt to open it to kill her.

Picking up the broken Wayfinder, Aqua runs to the end of the room where the throne would most likely be. The curtain swayed back and forth. Thinking the movement was odd, she moved it aside. A smile of relief managed its way to her face.

There was a hidden exit behind the curtain.

Aqua goes through the exit and ends up on a ledge a few feet above the ground outside. She ran a few hundred yards away to get away from the monsters. Once she was a safe distance, she turned around to see if they were following her.

She desperately wished she hadn't.

The world she came to know as The Castle of Dream morphed into part of The Realm of Darkness.

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 ** _Please review!_**


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